Brake lever



Patented Apr. 27, 1937 UN ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I BRAKE LEVER Frederic Schaefer, Pittsburgh, Pa I 7 Application April 3, 1936, Serial No. 72,545

V g 6 Claims. "This invention 1" ates to brake rigging for railwa Pcalirs, 'andf'more' particularly to brake levers To save metalfbut principally to'decrease their 5 weight so ne brake levers have been made with a relatively tliin'w'b surrounded by a flange of standard thickness. However, such levers are not as strong as those of uniform thickness throughout, and occasionally bend transversely under various strains to which they are subjected in use.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a brake lever of this web and. flange type which offers considerably more resistance to transverse bending than levers of this type known heretofore. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a brake lever; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but taken on the line l1II1I of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but taken on the line V-V of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line VI-VI of Fig. 1; and Fig. '7 is a View similar to Fig. 4, being a transverse section through a modified form of lever.

In accordance with this invention a brake lever, provided with a web and flanges at the edges of the web integral therewith, has portions of its web which extend longitudinally of the lever offset in opposite directions relative to the common central plane of the flanges. These ofiset portions, which are in the general form of corrugations, greatly increase the levers resistance to transverse bending. Preferably,,the corrugations extend only through the central portion of the lever, because that is the zone that receives the serious bending strains.

Referring to all but Fig. 7 of the drawing, a lever is formed, preferably by forging, having a web I surrounded by flanges 2 integral therewith and enlarged at the opposite ends of the lever for forming openings 3 provided for the reception of the pins by which the lever is connected to the rest of the brake rigging.

It is a feature of this invention that the levers resistance to transverse bending is materially 50 increased, with little increase in weight, by offsetting portions of web I in opposite directions relative to the common central plane of the flanges, these offset portions extending longitudinally of the lever. Accordingly, as best shown in Fig. 5, a central portion of the web extending longitudinally of the lever is offset relative to the central plane ofthe flanges'to form a corrugation 4. This corrugation does not project outwardly beyond, the flanges because the thickness of the lever is limited by railway standards. 1 The general'locationof the common central plane of the flanges is indicated in Figs. 4 and 5 by the broken line P. The portions of the web between the sides of corrugation 4 and flanges 2 are offset relative to the central plane P of the flanges in the direction opposite to that of the central corrugation, thereby forming corrugations 6 whose outer surfaces do'not project outwardly beyond the flanges.

Consequently, as the main portion of the web is offset on both sides of the neutral axis of the lever so that a transverse section through corrugations I and 6 presents the general appearance of the letter w, the lever is materially reinforced without adding to its weight or size. It has been found that the zone subject to the most severe bending strains, and the only one in which the levers bend, is spaced inwardly some distance from both ends of the web. Therefore, sufficient strength is given to the lever if the corrugations extend only through this zone, as shown in Fig. 1, leaving the end portions 1 of the web flat and in the central plane of the flanges as shown in Figs. 2 and 6.

The middle corrugation is provided with a portion or boss 8 as thick as the flanges and through which an opening 9 extends for the reception of a pivot pin by which the lever is fastened to a brake beam strut. The metal between thickened portion 8 and the flanges 2 is also preferably thickened, as shown at I I in Figs. 3 and 4, to add additional strength at this point where the lever is pivoted to a strut.

In Fig. 7 there is shown a modification of this invention in which a transverse section through the central portion of the lever has the general appearance of the letter Z. This appearance is the result of offsetting substantially half of the web in one direction relative to the common central plane of the flanges I5, and offsetting the other half of the web in the opposite direction, thereby forming two corrugations, I6 and H, extending longitudinally of the lever. The portion of the web which is provided with the central pin-receiving opening I8 is preferably made as thick as the flanges to increase its pin-engaging area. In this lever, as in the other form, the greater portion of the web which previously has been in the neutral axis of the lever is offset in two directions relative thereto, so that the strength of the corrugated portion of the web is nearly as great as that of a lever in which weight is not reduced by forming a web. I

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and construction of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to. have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described. I claim:

1. A brake lever having a web and flanges at the edges of the web integral therewith, the web being provided with three corrugations extending longitudinally of the lever, the central corrugation having a portion substantially as thick as said flanges and provided with an opening adapted to receive a pivot pin, and the portions of the two remaining corrugations between said thickened portion and the flanges being thicker than the main body of the web and thinner than said central portion.

4. A brake lever-having a web and flanges at the edges of the web integral therewith, the web being provided with corrugations extending longitudinally of the lever with their ends spaced from the ends of the lever.

5. A brake lever having a web and flanges at the edges of the web integral therewith, the web being provided with a corrugation extending 1ongitudinally of the lever.

6. A brake lever having a web and flanges at the edges ofthe .web integral therewith, the web being provided with a corrugation extendinglongitudinally of the lever and projecting from the common central plane of the flanges.

FREDERIC SCI-IAEFER. 

